Hamon from a file

[Colin KC]

I've been asked to make a tutorial about this, so here goes:

I'm gonna show you, by pictures & Q&A's how to get a nice hamon in a blade made from an old file. I'm going to do a Japanese style blade, cos it's only right & proper


It'll take a while, so please bear with me.

First take a file (old, cast, Sheffield, Stubs there are many indications) I preferr flat ones, but you can use tapered if you wish.

Whack it inna forge, take it up to critical (no higher) & soak for a bit, then dunk it straight in vermiculite (available quite cheaply from nursery/pet places) Leave it overnight:





See the scale around the tang? & the greyness, this is good

Next grind off the tang (if you're doing a traditional(ish) style tanto that is) otherwise, do what you want with it.

Grind off the teeth (if it has a smooth edge, this will be your edge, if not, take the teeth from at least one edge) I used my new baby, but you can use anything you want, files, angle grinder, belt sander... Just get rid of them




Next installment, grinding to shape.

[munkyman]

i'm looking forward to this, i've m,ade a few blades which need HT'g, just hrry up with the rest of the tutprial though, i need to do it before the end of the kith

[Kane]

Any chance of a bit more detail to save frantic searches ...

"Whack it inna forge, take it up to critical (no higher) & soak for a bit, then dunk it straight in vermiculite (available quite cheaply from nursery/pet places) Leave it overnight:"

What's critical?
Soak?
Vermiculite - is it sold as vermiculite or something else?

[PS_Bond]

What's critical?

When the blade is at the temperature where a magnet is no longer attracted to it.

Soak?

"A bit" - thicker blades need longer to make sure the whole thing is definitely at critical point.

Vermiculite - is it sold as vermiculite or something else?

Vermiculite. Usually found alongside perlite.
Also used in the gentle art of hydroponics, apparently.

[Kane]

Cheers

[Colin KC]

Thanks Peter, although critical is not achully onna point of the steel being non-magnetic, it'll do for now

[PS_Bond]

Close enough for jazz... You want to go into FCC/BCC transitions now?

[Colin KC]

Close enough for jazz... You want to go into FCC/BCC transitions now?

Nah, as you say, close enough for jazz

[Colin KC]

Right!

Next is the shaping:




first (well for me anyhoo) is getting the tip right, alsom, at this stage you might want to drill for the peg thingy (it'll be a flat surface, but many of you may, like me, want to wait till the tang's formed)





At this stage the edge is a touch under 1/16" (mebbe 3/64") I'll be taking it no thinner, this is just a tutorial, not a "watch Unca Tolin make a mess of it" by numbers

It's currently inna oven at @ 65degC ready for claying up.

[Colin KC]

It's a flat grind, but we'll be convexing it a bit later on

[Pikebite]

Colin - sorry for the dumb questions but some of us are real beginners when it comes to grinding blades. Do you just freehand the flatgrind or do you mark the blank in any way to make sure the grind is straight and even?

[Kane]

Is the Carlsberg compulsory?

Appreciate the tutorial - getting obsessed by hamons lately

[munkyman]

either he's drinking on the job, or he uses a can with the top cut off, filled with water to dunk blades in and keep them cool? ( i found that it helped)

my vote is he's drinking whilst grinding

[Inspector71]

I'm sure that the can is just there for scale in the photos. And an ironic reminder of the deadly serious Health and Safety implications of using power tools.

[Colin KC]

Colin - sorry for the dumb questions but some of us are real beginners when it comes to grinding blades. Do you just freehand the flatgrind or do you mark the blank in any way to make sure the grind is straight and even?

Richard, I just do it freehand, but many of you won't be able to do that just yet (plus you might not have a KMG)

I grind up to the thickness I need on an old belt at about 40degrees from the edge (you don't wanna use a fresh belt at this stage, cos the 90degree corner will strip your nice new 60grit aluminium oxide bits straight off the belt)

Then go to a fresh belt & grind it flat (if you use a push stick, mine's a nice piece of ebony you'll be able to vary the angle of the grind easier by applying more pressure to the part that you want to grind off, if you see what I mean)

I've only gone to 80grit on this, mainly for speed, but also to give the clay something to grip on